In 2023, Bread Shack—a pandemic-born Davao bakery known for its peanut butter buns and snackable baked goods—sought CIA Bootleg Manila’s help in making a bold leap. The goal: transform into a modern, emotionally resonant bakery lifestyle brand ready to expand beyond its Davao roots.
Project Manager for Project A
Project Manager for Project A
Reimagining a Local Bakery into a National Brand of Comfort and Delight
What started as a beloved local bakery was ready to grow—but not just in size. Bread Shack wanted a richer brand story, a stronger identity, and an experience that could connect with a broader audience across the Philippines.
The question they brought to Bootleg:
“How do we evolve without losing what made people love us?”
Together, we reimagined the brand from the ground up—evolving Bread Shack into FLUFF: Sweet & Savory Stuff, a vibrant, emotionally charged bakery brand offering comfort food with a playful twist.
🧠 Deep-Dive Brand and Cultural Insighting
Bootleg deployed a cross-functional team of psychologists, sociologists, researchers, food and beverage experts, and designers to understand how baked comfort food lives in Filipino culture today.
Key Findings:
• Bread Shack served as a “small win” for friends seeking moments of escape.
• It provided a playful pause—like a nostalgic toy or comfort blanket in food form.
• The brand held the potential to become an everyday delight for a younger, more emotionally-driven audience.
🎯 Brand DNA Refinement
From these insights, we developed a new brand DNA:
A Blissful & Inspiring Oasis
FLUFF became a space—not just a store—where joy, care, and light rebellion meet. A place for warmth, laughter, and release.
Its new brand tagline captured the energy:
FLUFF: Life Made Light.
🧪 Design Research & Field Immersions
To ensure relevance and resonance, our team conducted:
• Global trend scans in breads, snacks, and café culture
• Taste tests and packaging critiques with culinary tastemakers
• Interviews and workshops with customers in Manila and Davao
• Retail immersions and brand audits of both Bread Shack and competitors
• Visual and experience audits of stores, kiosks, and online presence
🎨 Brand Identity & Character Creation
Partnering with Brandyard, we brought the brand to life visually and experientially. FLUFF was designed to feel light, comforting, and slightly magical.
The key visual device? Claude the Cloud—a warm, huggable mascot who drifts through life bringing joy and softness. He hugs buns, floats across menus, and embodies the heart of the brand.
The color palette, typography, packaging, and spatial design all echoed the brand’s key themes: softness, lightness, delight.
CIA Bootleg Manila’s contributions included:
• Full brand strategy and DNA articulation
• Psychological and sociological insight mining
• Category and design audit
• Naming strategy and storytelling development
• Visual identity design with Brandyard
• Launch messaging and concept storytelling